MaxPreps Preseason Xcellent 25 team preview: No. 22 Oaks Christian

In a few short years, Oaks Christian has grown quickly into a sports juggernaut with a resume that's especially impressive in football.

The Lions are 65-6 over the last five seasons, making them one of the Top 10 California Football Dynasties.

2011 will be much of the same for head coach Bill Redell and staff, as star athletes Jordan Payton and Ishmael Adams return alongside several key returning starters and a host of impact transfers to form what could be the most complete Oaks Christian team yet.

Transfer Luke Falk is in the running to be the team's starting quarterback, giving Oaks Christian a major talent behind center. Receiver Zach Hernandez, a transfer from Alemany, is in the mix for the starting receiver job opposite of Payton and could give Falk another trustworthy target.



Defensively, the Lions return most of their starters from last year. Marcus Piechowski, Devoreaux Stewart, Logan Quiroz, Ben Johnson and sophomore Marcus Jones all return up front, with linebackers Cameron Judge and Carlos Mendoza back at two of the linebacker spots.

Adams and Payton will both start in the secondary. Transfer Malik Cyphers, if healthy, will be a shutdown corner. Fellow sophomore Tyrone Faanono, also a transfer, could have an impact at linebacker.

With so many playmakers on both sides of the ball, the only issue for Oaks Christian will be whether the team jells with so many new faces. The Lions closed the season on a 10-game winning streak. If its offensive line holds up and allows its skill players the opportunity to break big plays, Oaks Christian should be significantly improved and challenge for a CIF Bowl Game bid.

Local look: "A year ago, Oaks Christian won a (section) championship that few saw coming. The Lions were young, lost their starting quarterback to injury but peaked in the playoffs. Now they are loaded at virtually every position and have picked up transfers to provide depth. They'll still have to get past St. Bonaventure and Westlake, but this is a program with as good a coaching staff as there is in Southern California."
-  Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times

Continue to School Profile
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Size: Division III


Enrollment: 1,500 (approx.)




2010 Finish: 12-2, Southern Section Northern Division champions


Head coach: Bill Redell


Career record: 222-62-3


Years at school: 11


Notable players coached:
QB Jimmy Clausen
RB Marc Tyler
DB Malcolm Jones

Continue to Key Returners
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No. of returning starters: 6 (offense), 9 (defense)

Key losses:
TE Dylan van der Wal
QB Trevor Gretzky
WR Trey Smith



Key returners:
WR/DB Jordan Payton
RB/DB Ishmael Adams
DL/LB Logan Quiroz

Key newcomers:
QB Luke Falk (transfer)
DB Malik Cyphers (transfer)
LB Tyler Faanono (transfer)
OL Reno Rosene

Continue to Season Outlook
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Toughest game: Bellevue (Wash.). Although Oaks Christian already has film on Washington's defending 3A state champion, Bellevue has plenty of time this summer to work on new offensive wrinkles to surprise the Lions in early September.

Question mark: Will the 2011 Oaks Christian Lions come together to form a great team, or will they be a collection of talented players, many of whom are new to the program, that simply don't get it together on the field?

Local outlook: St. Bonaventure will give Oaks Christian everything it can handle when the two meet on Sept. 23. Westlake loses some key skill players but will still be very competitive.

Overall outlook: With the coaching staff and players that were in place at the end of the season, Oaks Christian projected to be good in 2011. With the immense talent infused the program in the offseason, the Lions have the potential to be great.

Coach quote: "We should be pretty good, assuming everyone shows up. With a school like this, you never know."
- Bill Redell



Continue to Video of Returning Players
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